The England football team and their fans haven’t had the greatest of runs when it comes to World Cup anthems.
Some fell into the false advertising bordering on over-confidence category, like 1986’s ‘We’ve Got The Whole World At Our Feet’ or 2002’s ‘We’re On The Ball’.
Some were embarrassing covers like ‘Come On England’ to the sound of Dexys Midnight Runners’ ‘Come On Eileen’, or the dire reworking of Tears For Fears’ hit ‘Shout’.
Then came the summer of 1998, when two footie anthems battled it out in the charts.
In one corner was ‘3 Lions ‘98’ by Lightnings Seeds and Baddiel & Skinner – a reworking of the only truly memorable England anthem from the Euros two years prior. In the other corner, one of the most atrocious crimes against music: Fat Les’ ‘Vindaloo’.
Here it is below – and for those of you who have never heard this song, we’re very sorry for including the video.
Yes, that happened. And we just watched, complicit and bleeding from the ears.
Originally written as a parody, the song based on a very spicy Goan curry for no apparent reason was embraced as a chant by fans. It featured the lyrics “Nah-nah-nah, nah-nah-nah, nah-nah” and “We’re England / We’re gonna score one more than you.”
They didn’t.
They crashed out in penalties in Round 16, and the song (thankfully) was beaten by ‘3 Lions ‘98’ in the charts. ‘Vindaloo’ did reach number two on the UK Singles Chart though. As much as you’d want to, you can’t whitewash that one out of the history books.
Now, it’s taken 28 years since that fateful summer, but England may have a decent anthem.
The team’s travelling supporters have taken to singing ‘Wonderwall’ by Oasis with the players at full-time.
It first happened on 17 June in Dallas Stadium, after England’s win against Croatia 4-2. Fans started singing; England players Jude Bellingham and Anthony Gordon were seen mouthing the lyrics; and England captain Harry Kane said: “That was one of my favourite ever moments in an England shirt, especially at a major tournament.”
Kane added: “It’s the emotional connection with the fans, we know how much it means to them. They see how much it means to us. We have that connection right now.”
The new tradition kept going and has seemingly been given the thumbs up by both Noel and Liam Gallagher.
After England’s opening win, Noel, who wrote ‘Wonderwall’, told British tabloid the Sun: “Wonderwall belongs to the people, and it was a magical moment between the people and the players.”
As for Liam, he simply wrote on X: “Cmon England cmon Wonderwall”, followed by a subsequent post which read: “Let’s keep the BIBLICAL VIBRATIONS going if the the GOVERNMENTS we put in power can’t bring it then it’s down to the PEOPLE cmon ENGLAND”.
What is it that makes ‘Wonderwall’ the ideal World Cup song for England? After aaaaaaaaall, a nostalgic love song which feels more reflective than football-chant-rousing can seem like an odd choice.
For starters, it’s a tune. And overplayed tune, but a tune nonetheless.
Then, there’s the fact that hardly anyone in the UK (and beyond) doesn’t know the lyrics, meaning it’s easy to create a sense of communion.
The 1995 song from Oasis’ second album ‘(What’s The Story) Morning Glory?’ is the band’s biggest-selling song and has been butchered by misguided male acoustic guitar players at music festival campsites ever since. In 2024, it was even crowned by the Official Charts Company as the most-streamed song from the 1970s to the 1990s.
As a result from its World Cup fan embrace, ‘Wonderwall’ has re-entered the UK singles chart and Spotify has shared that streams have shot up.
In a recent statement, they wrote: “Spotify can reveal that the 1995 classic has experienced a resurgence, with a spike in listening of 50% in the UK – a huge lift considering the existing streams and fanbase for such an iconic and enduring song.”
Responding, Liam wrote on X: “And rightly so it’s a fucking classic and I sound BIBLICAL on it.”
England clinched a late victory on 1 July, beating DR Congo 2-1. They will play Mexico in Mexico City on Monday 6 July.
In case you were wondering, Liam has predicted the score, telling a Mexico fan online that they’re “gonna get smashed 3-0”.
Let’s see whether the ‘Wonderwall’ tradition can last until the final on 19 July in New York. Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaybe… If not, let’s hope fans don’t look back in anger.